Are you looking for Easter dishes that are easy and fun to make? If yes, then these “newly hatched chicks” made from hard-boiled eggs are perfect for you (along with chicken mommy, of course). You can offer them as a snack or use them to garnish a salad. Or how about an Easter picnic? Simply pack them in the egg carton you bought them in. Safe transportation and a cute way to serve.

Easter is approaching soon so it’s about time to present some Easter recipes. I like this chick egg very much because it’s so simple. And it totally makes sense to reshape boiled eggs so they look like hatched chicks. No wait, that’s actually kind of creepy. Nevermind, they do look cute after all :-)

I’ve encountered the basic idea of this chick egg on lots of bento blogs (or here on Flickr), so its origin remains unclear. Everyone has their own way of styling the faces. I attempted to come up with a personal variation, too. And I tried to find a way to make it that is as quick and easy as possible. Have fun!

How to make a Chicken Family from Hard-Boiled Eggs

eggs

carrot slices

thin red pepper slice

black olives or nori (like the seaweed sheets you use for sushi)

Boil the eggs. You can use this perfect method here for example. Make sure you don’t overcook the eggs. You don’t want ugly green chicks, do you? Well maybe when it’s time for Halloween. In the last 3 minutes of boiling, add the carrot slices to the water.

The egg yolk is near the flat end of the egg, so the cut should be nearer to that side. The pointy end of the egg will be the bottom. You can use a regular small knife. It worked best for me when I held it near the tip, the sharp edge facing upwards. Cut a zig-zag line. You don’t have to be overly cautious not to cut the yolk. A bit cutting is okay, just don’t ram the knife through it.

Gently pull and stroke the small part of the egg white. If doesn’t come off easily, re-cut the zig-zag line. Maybe it’s a good idea to brush the egg yolk at this step with oil. I noticed that they turn dry and cracky after a while!

I used an apple corer to make the chicken beaks, but you can use small round cookie cutters as well. Cut the carrot slices so they look like crescents.Or like orange clipped nails.

Press the carrot beaks (2 crescents) into the egg yolk. For the chicken mommy, you may have to you use a little mayonnaise as an adhesive.

If you use olives for the eyes, use the end of a plastic drinking straw to cut circles.

If you use nori, go get your hole puncher at your workstation and cut out nori circles.

Nori eyes can be placed easily with the flat end of a toothpick that has been damped.

For the mommy chicken’s comb, cut out a red pepper circle and divide it in half. Make a small cut into the egg so you can place the comb inside.

I raise chickens and would like to make sure you all realize not all egg cartons you receive from the grocery store are safe to store hard boiled eggs in once their shells have been removed. Often, the boxes, which are simply vacuum-extruded paper pulp and VERY porous, have various bacteria in the crannies of the paper which can be picked up by the moisture of an unshelled hard boiled egg.

Also, if you get farm-raised eggs or organic eggs, be aware that some farmers put their eggs into the cartons unwashed because the eggs have been laid on clean litter. Many also recycle used cartons, as well (I do due to economic reasons). This isn’t a sweeping generality, of course, as there are a vast number of local farmers and organic farmers who do wash their eggs before sale and who use fresh, clean cartons for each dozen they sell.

I guess just be careful. If you want to make sure your eggs stay clean, line the carton cups with plastic. A little plastic wrap helps keep the stomach yuckies away.

wow, I never thought of that Marguerite. My concerns were of the egg sticking to the carton. I was planning on putting some easter grass in the bottom, overflowing the egg slots then some celowrap. I do have a plastic tray that I can transport them in tho so I may have to give that a nice wash and just use it instead.

How unbelievably, heart-meltingly adorable! I’d agree with marguerite about the carton though. I’ll have to try to make this some time for my friends! Thanks for the wonderful posts, and especially your blog! It’s so much fun browsing your entries. :) Thanks again!

these are soooo adorable! they resemble this chick cartoon character, piyo piyo! my sister being the cutie pie she is made the soft-toy versh of her piyo look at the pictures on your post! did that make sense? in any case, lovely eggs:)

Hi Jojo!!!
Indeed the things you do are amazing. I found the page by accident. I congratulate you for the things you do and the dedication with which you perform it. Perfect!
My Greetings and cheers from Argentina ..

Very, very cute! Have you ever thought about making a deviled egg version of this idea, where you also scoop out the yolks and mix them with mayo, brown or spicy mustard and paprika? I think it might be difficult to pipe them back in their exact same shape, but the taste would be worth the effort. In that case, you’d likely want to use a pimiento slice from the middle of a green olive as mama hen’s comb.
Btw, I stumbled on this blog as a link from another I read (The Kitchn), and I think it’s really awesome so far. Esp the cream cheese bunny muffins; I am so going to try that recipe, but tweak it a little to add carrot and raisins (like carrot cake, a sort of spring dish). :)

Thank you Joy! I think making a deviled egg version would definitely improve the taste. You could use an ice cream scoop to reshape it afterwards (this got actually mentioned by someone who commented on another blog). I guess you can experiment a lot with this idea :-)
Putting carrots and raisns in the bunny cake surely accentuates the spring feeling, I like that.

Man, i wish i had seen this in time for Easter! Did you come up with this yourself? It is way too cute. I bet everyone loved it. Terry that was mean by the way. This person is trying to show us something to brighten up someones day and you are thrashing them for it. How dare you! If anyone else is excited about flower blooming then it’s a click away.

Hey Jojo. I love all your eye candy recipes. This one is so perfect for Easter. I was looking for a recipe to illustrate for a website called theydrawandcook.com. I am a children’s book illustrator that loves to cook. Can I draw up a bunny family making these and submit it? Thanks and God bless.